Buccaneer Blitz Review

As odd as it sounds, Buccaneer Blitz is really just a pirate version of Galcon, the acclaimed space conquest game. In my opinion though, it does a bit more and in turn is a bit more fun.

Buccaneer Blitz, like Galcon, consists of a large map with multiple islands owned either by you, the computer enemy, or a neutral party. Attacking other islands (which is the goal of the game), is as easy as dragging your armies from one island to the next. Also like Galcon, attacking sends half of the selected army, forcing you to attack from multiple locations to take over a single island. Speed and organization are the key in Buccaneer Blitz, and the fast paced gameplay will keep you entertained for hours.

What makes Buccaneer Blitz better than Galcon (at least for me) is its focus on spells and the ever so powerful cannon. In the game, when you are focused on defense, you can go into a first person view as you main islands cannon and really wreck havoc on enemy forces. Obviously you can't send out attacks while in cannon mode, but it is a nice way to add some extra defense to your bases. As you kill enemy ships, you also gain spell points which allow you to cast things like ship killing lightning and island killing giant squids. These spells certainly slant the advantage in your favor, but the speed and efficiency that the computer operates at forces you to do all you can to win.

Strategy purists will probably still lean towards Galcon due to its pure strategy focus, but I think the average gamer will appreciate the added abilities that Buccaneer Blitz grants you. I'm not sure if the cartoony pirate theme will appeal to the strategy gaming masses, but the game itself is certainly pretty solid.